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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — army training
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. drill — the tool
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cold — an illness
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cold — not warm
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com